


Wings Open

by HighWarlockMegaraBane



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Don't Judge Me, F/M, Lots of Angst, M/M, No Spoilers, OCxOC - Freeform, anything with the word reveal in it, chloe is a bitch but who's suprised, it was late, kind of major character death, kind of violence, m/m in the future, maybe i'm just behind on the times, mentions mostly, not a whole lot of alya-nino, not really - Freeform, original akumas too, post-reveal, revealed, revealing, season two hype, unnamed other superheroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-01-27 00:20:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12569460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighWarlockMegaraBane/pseuds/HighWarlockMegaraBane
Summary: Altair Leandre and his best friend Gray have just been kicked to yet another home, this one in the heart of Parisian lifestyle. As orphans, all they have is each other, and they can trust each other with everything--right? Turns out, Altair has not one, but two secrets--and both of them could destroy his relationship with Gray if he isn't careful. How much is he willing to risk to protect the only person he's ever truly cared about, that he's ever been able to consider family?Rating might change in the future, no graphic depictions of violence (yet), a bit of language, mostly just lots of angst and tears.I own none of Miraculous Ladybug except for Altair, Gray, Uumni, and White Egret.Updated once every two weeks on Mondays28/9/18 - ABANDONED: sorry guys, i just don't have the motivation to write this right now.





	1. Dawn of a New Hero

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry, don't worry--Outcast is continuing too!  
> This is my first fanfiction for Miraculous so bear with me. I understand a lot of the things that happen in here are not things that happen canonically, but as I'm following the English dub of the show and have not read the comics (yet) so I understand there will probably be factual errors as far as the canon is concerned. As of this story's creation (10/30/2017) I have only seen up to s2e3 and the Christmas special.
> 
> I own none of Miraculous except my OCs!
> 
> Other than that, reviews are love and reviews keep this little writer-block-prone warlock writing!
> 
> ***THIS STORY TAKES PLACE POST-REVEAL***

“My name is Firestarter!” the boy with flaming hair yelled. “And your name will soon be Cinder Chat!”

               Struggling vainly, Chat Noir kicked and writhed, fighting to undo the ropes around his arms and midsection that tied him to the lamppost. The fire that had started in downtown Paris was raging, melting everything in its path in a haze of purple smoke and white-hot fire.

               And it was coming right for the trapped cat.

               Ladybug had just taken off running after needing a recharge from her Lucky Charm. Who would have guessed they would have two akumatized victims in one day? But for now, Chat Noir was on his own, and he was about to be sautéed.

               “Ladybug!” he shouted desperately as the heat began to soak into his pleather outfit. Sweat slicked his skin and dripped into his eyes. He considered using his Cataclysm but with the angle of his palm, pressed hard against his thigh, he didn’t dare risk it.

               “Hey, Firestarter!”

               Chat Noir gasped in relief and jerked his head up. His hair was matted with sweat and sticking to his forehead, and the sweat on his mask clouded his gaze. The voice didn’t _sound_ like his lady, though.

               “Who are you?” the villain screeched. “Never mind—I’ll roast you with the kitty cat!”

               There was a whoosh and a blast of cold wind powerful enough to push the flames back. Firestarter skidded backwards and growled, throwing out both hands to spew jets of fire at the white blur that appeared in front of Chat Noir. He spun the weapon in his hand and deflected them easily.

               “Didn’t anyone ever tell you the first rule of fire safety?” the voice taunted—definitely male, Chat decided. “Never make a bigger fire than you can handle!”

               There was flash of seafoam blue and the voice called, “ _Sacred Rain!”_

A peal of thunder almost drowned out his words as an impromptu thunderstorm sprang up. Chat was immediately soaked to the skin, and the water made his pleather outfit slick enough to wriggle free from the ropes. Leaping nimbly, the cat landed on his toes and assumed a fighting position. But the sight of his rescuer stopped him in his tracks.

               It was definitely a boy. He had long white hair, though, that reached almost all the way down his back. His outfit was completely white—a white body-suit with a sprawling pair of white wings folded against his back, white boots—but his gloves were black and white, and in one hand he held a long golden spear. He turned toward Chat Noir, and his startling gold eyes met Chat’s green ones.

               “Alright there, Kitty?” he asked. The water from the rain, which was putting out the spitting fire, rolled easily off his suit.

               “Sure,” he replied warily, soaked to the bone. “Who are you?”

               “I’ll explain later,” he replied, turning to face the soaking Firestarter. “Where’s the akuma?”

               Chat decided to hold his tongue. “In the flint piece on his necklace. But only Ladybug can save the akumas.”

               “And she’s here,” a third voice answered, and the red-clad superhero landed on her feet beside Chat.

               “How nice of you to return, milady, and just in the nick of time,” he said, still thrown by the abrupt turn things had taken. Ladybug drew herself up as the white boy taunted Firestarter.

               “Who?” she asked, but Chat cut her off.

               “He’ll explain later, he says.”

               They didn’t have to lift a finger. Before Chat had barely finished speaking, the white superhero had stolen the necklace and flung it to Ladybug.

               “No!” Firestarter screeched, the flames on his head rising to dangerous heights, burning despite the rain.

               “Oh, yeah!” Ladybug shot back, dropping the flint and crushing it under her foot. The purple and black akuma spiraled away. “No more evil-doing for you, little akuma! Time to de-evilise!”

               Chat watched the white butterfly soar up into the rain. Ladybug flung her yo-yo into the air and called out, “Miraculous Ladybug!”

               The white-winged superhero watched in awe as his storm disappeared and burned Paris set itself right in flashes of red and black. The boy was left kneeling on the ground, his messy ginger hair sticking up wildly and his brown eyes startled and confused.

               “Pound it,” Chat said instinctively, holding up a fist. Ladybug didn’t pay him any attention, though, and stared instead at the white-winged boy. The mask across his face was white, with delicate feathers craning upwards at the corners.

               “Who _are_ you?” she asked. He smiled and bowed at the waist, twisting his—spear? Sabre?—around his hand before sliding it back into the sheath between his wings.

               “I go by White Egret,” he said softly. “I have heard much about you, Ladybug, and you, Chat Noir.”

               “Do you have—?” Chat asked, his un-bumped fist falling to his side. Before he got it out, however, a soft beeping answered his question. The boy smiled and touched his throat.

               “On my necklace,” he replied. It was a simple silver chain with a dangling blue pendant, and on it was a circlet of five white feathers. One had already disappeared and another was flashing. White Egret glanced at the two superheroes, his hand falling away. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

               Chat narrowed his eyes. After the incident with Volpina, he was nervous to trust anyone. A glance at his partner told him that Ladybug felt the same way.

               “Where are you from?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. His necklace beeped again. “What powers does your Miraculous give you?”

               “Ah—I’ve just moved here from Austria,” he replied with a grin, rubbing the back of his head. “And my Miraculous—well, it lets me fly, gives me this sweet sabre”— _ah, so it is a sabre,_ Chat thought— “and it gives me my signature power, Sacred—well, whatever I need.” His cocky smile faded into a more charming smirk. “Sacred Rain, Fire, Wind, Earth—whatever strikes my fancy.”

               “Seems kind of…all-powerful,” Chat said under his breath. He crossed his arms. “How do we know we can trust you?” he demanded aloud.

               Ladybug shot him a look but didn’t protest. Chat knew she didn’t disagree.

               A look of confusion crossed White Egret’s face. It cleared almost immediately. “I don’t expect you to trust me immediately,” he admitted as his necklace continued to beep. “I hope that I will soon be able to show you that you can. I am not one of Hawk Moth’s victims.”

               Then he gave a bow and spread his wings. They were long and slender, and the feathers were silky. “I must take my leave before I change back. See you soon, Chat, Ladybug.” And he turned on his heel, pumped his wings, and rose elegantly into the air, disappearing quickly over the buildings.

               The red superheroine turned to her partner. “That’s kind of weird,” she said. “Two victims in one day, _and_ a new superhero?”

               “I don’t know if we can trust him,” Chat repeated, shaking his head. “I don’t trust anyone after the Volpina incident. You know what happened there.”

               Ladybug shrugged, looking uneasy. “Maybe we can, Chat. All we can do is see if he comes back again, and maybe fall back and let him do the work. Maybe if we watch him, we’ll be able to decide.”

               Chat pursed his lips. “If you think so, milady, but I still don’t have a good feeling about the guy.”

 

“Uumni, wings open,” Altair gasped as his feet touched the grass. Immediately, in a flash of seafoam blue, his disguise disappeared and he held out both cupped hands. His kwami landed in his palms, panting lightly.

               Uumni was a little egret-like creature. He had a small, wide black beak and a fluffy body covered in white feathers, with little white wings against his back. His feet were not like birds’, but long feet with soft pads on the bottom. He yawned and opened his golden eyes, blinking wearily up at his guardian.

               “That was exciting,” he murmured. Altair smiled and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulling out what was left of his chocolate bar. Uumni’s eyes lit up as he saw the treat, and he flew up, snatching it from his guardian’s fingertips and shoving a piece into his mouth with a happy groan.

               Altair caught sight of himself in the window of a building across the alley from him. Frowning, he pulled at a lock of his black hair. It was getting to be about shoulder-length, and he pulled a string from his pocket and tied it back from his face, at the nape of his skull. He needed to cut it. Shrugging on his jacket, he turned away from the reflection of the slender outcast that stared back at him.

               Not for the first time, he wondered by his Miraculous caused such a dramatic change in his appearance. The other Miraculouses he had heard about merely gained the costume—but his miraculous changed his eye color—blue to gold—and his hair—from short black to waist-length white. Uumni had said something cryptic about his power level having an influence on Altair’s appearance, but he had never expanded. He stopped asking after a while.

               “What do you have wings for if you can fly without them?” Altair asked, not for the first time. Uumni shrugged, floating up onto the boy’s shoulder.

               Altair leaned back against the brick wall behind him, looking up at the sky. “Why do Chat and Ladybug not trust me?” he asked, half to himself.

               Uumni swallowed. “Hawk Moth has apparently akumatized someone and tricked them into thinking they were another Miraculous,” he said while taking another bite. “You know the saying—fool me once…”

               Altair sighed heavily. “Don’t I know it,” he muttered. Pushing himself off the wall, he put his hands into his pocket, bowed his head against the sunlight, and headed back toward the only home he had ever known—well, one of them.

 

Truth be told, Altair was an orphan.

               He had never known his father, and only had a picture of his mother tucked into the journal in his bag. To his name, he had only a messenger bag, a worn leather-bound journal, a black ball-point pen, the clothes on his back, his necklace, and his kwami.

               He had bounced around from several orphanages in Austria, and finally got kicked to this one in France—Hovier’s, it was called. It wasn’t far from the large high school in the area (the name escaped him) but without money, Altair’s only option if he wanted to go was to get in as an honor’s student.

               He had teased the idea of going, he wouldn’t say he hadn’t, but if he did, his best friend would be alone again.

               His best friend was a boy by the name of Gray (Altair was pretty sure that wasn’t his real name, but he didn’t question it). Gray had short brown hair and blue eyes with a scar across one cheek. He wasn’t what most girls would swoon over and call ‘handsome’, but his boyish looks helped him when he was accused of pickpocketing or getting the five-finger discount from various places around. He and Gray had been through three houses together, and when one got kicked the other worked his ass off to get kicked too so they wouldn’t be alone.

               He and Gray had been together since they were eight. Neither had family and barely any other friends, and told one another everything.

               _Well, mostly everything_ , Altair thought, glancing over at Uumni sitting on his shoulder, nibbling on the chocolate. The little bird kwami caught his caretaker’s eye and smiled brightly, eyes shining.

               Altair smiled back and rubbed his kwami’s head with a fingertip. Maybe one day he could tell Gray. One day.

 

Adrien sighed and dropped face-first onto his bed. “Can’t you sense other kwami?” he demanded into his pillow.

               “Sure, if I cared enough I guess I could,” Plagg mumbled around his mouthful of camembert.

               “Then, next time we see him, would you wanna do something helpful and see if he’s real?” Adrien snapped, raising his head and wincing at pain lanced through his ribs. Firestarter had thrown him against the light post harder than he thought—his entire chest area was black and blue down to his abdomen.

               “I dunno if I can or _not_ ,” Plagg restated, finally looking serious as he swallowed the last traces of his snack. “I guess I didn’t even really try with Ladybug. I know there’s other kwamis out there but…well, it’s never really seemed very important.”

               Adrien sat up, holding his side with one hand. “You didn’t even try to see if _Ladybug_ has a kwami?” he echoed.

               “I assumed, and I was right, wasn’t I?” Plagg stated, like it was obvious, rolling his eyes. “I dunno, Adrien. You got any more camembert? All of this thinking is exhausting me.” He dramatically floated down to the table. “I can’t go on!”

               Adrien rolled his eyes and pulled another camembert box from his mini fridge by his bed, holding his nose as he opened it and tossed a slice at his kwami.

               _Guess Plagg won’t be any help here,_ he thought dejectedly, resting his chin in one hand after he had returned the reeking cheese back to the fridge. Plagg sighed happily and downed the next slice in one gulp. _I suppose milady and I will have to figure White Egret out on our own._

 

“Can’t you sense other kwami?” Marinette asked of her little red friend, unaware that Adrien, across the city, was having a similar conversation.

               Tikki nodded, pulling on one of her antennae nervously. “I tried when White Egret showed up—really I did! I think I caught a little bit of something—maybe a bird kwami—but he was so powerful that he was able to push me right back out.”

               Marinette sighed and curled up on her bed, holding her legs to her chest with her chin on her knees. “Chat doesn’t seem to think we can trust him. I don’t want to either, not until we’re sure,” she continued, half to herself, “but he’s so strong and he _did_ help us out with Firestarter… He _did_ save Chat, even indirectly…”

               “Then maybe we can trust him,” Tikki exclaimed, floating up so she was nose to nose with Marinette. “If he saved Chat!”

               Marinette bit her lip. She didn’t know _what_ to think about the mysterious white winged boy.

 

Altair hopped the fence around the rec yard and, hands in his pockets, and slid back around behind the massive oak tree. He found himself suddenly face-to-face with Gray.

               “So, where have you been this time?” his friend asked, narrow eyebrows raised, his arms crossed. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans with his beat-up sneakers. His black jacket was tied around his waist.

               “Uh—going for a walk,” Altair said, casting his eyes up to the leafy boughs of the tree. It was late summer—it wouldn’t be long before the leaves’ colors changed and fell.

               “The rec yard is big enough for a walk,” Gray said, refusing to drop his gaze from Altair’s eyes. “Come on,” he continued when his friend was silent. “You can tell me. I won’t rat you out.”

               In his jacket pocket, Uumni shifted nervously. Altair moved his hands from his jeans to his jacket.

               “Just seeing the things to see around Paris,” he replied easily. “Come on, Gray, would I lie to you?”

               Gray finally turned his gaze away, staring out across the yard. “No,” he murmured. “No, you wouldn’t.”

               “See?” Altair replied, giving his friend a good-natured punch on the arm.

               “Altair…” Gray uncrossed his arms and ran his hands through his brunette locks. His silver chain bracelet caught and threw the light. “Listen. I know you’ve—been thinking about—trying to enroll at Collège Françoise Dupon.”

               Altair’s breath caught. He had completely forgotten about the papers about the collège he had left on his bed. He had been reading them when he had heard the screams from Firestarter and had taken off running without a second thought. _Oh God._ Did Gray think he was leaving?

               “Gray, listen—”

               “No, Altair, don’t talk,” the brunette cut him off. “Let me finish. I… I won’t stop you.” He took a shaky breath. “I won’t stop you if you want to enroll. I know you can’t do it unless you’re an honors student and I know you’re smart enough to do that. If I’m holding you back—if you think you can’t apply because of me—I want you to know I’m not. If—If that will make you happy, I want you to be happy.”

               Gray looked younger than Altair had ever seen him before. His jaw was set and his eyes showed no emotion, but there was a muscle going in his cheek—just below his scar—and there was a significant dampness to the blue orbs. He raised his head and stared out to the distant horizon and the black-haired boy saw the wetness accumulating. His fists were clenched and his shoulders tight.

               “I wouldn’t be happy there, Gray, not if you would be upset, or alone, or anything like that,” he said quietly. “I—I was actually thinking about asking you if you would want to take the honors’ exam with me.”

               Gray’s eyes widened and he cut his head over sharply, his full lips slightly parted.

               “I can help you study,” he continued, the words coming out fast now, as if he was trying to race something. “We can take the test before the fall term starts and—and I know you aren’t really one for studying and things like that but—but we could do it together—go to a real school and—have a normal life—it’s what I’ve always dreamed about—haven’t you? We could still be together—I would never leave you—you’re my best friend.”

               He had to stop and take a sharp breath, his heart throbbing. Uumni was gripping his finger tightly; he could feel the sharp little beak pressed against the pad of his finger.

               Gray was silent for so long that Altair wondered if he had misspoken. But his friend merely closed his mouth and suddenly dragged Altair into a hug, his arms around his friend’s shoulders. Altair let out a soft gasp, startled. Gray was never one for affectionate gestures.

               “I was scared,” he muttered, barely audible, “when I came back from lunch and you were gone. Then I found those flyers—I thought you’d left and didn’t say anything and that was your way of saying goodbye. I’ve been out here since then. I was trying to decide if I should go find you. I don’t have anything here. You’re my only friend—you and I both know we’re—unadoptable. There’s no chance. I couldn’t stand the thought of being here alone.”

               Altair hugged his friend back, tightly. “I wouldn’t just up and go,” he said, just as quietly. They stood like that for a minute, in the warm evening air, before Altair pulled back. Gray looked on the verge of tears but his jaw was set.

               “Do you want to apply with me?” Altair asked.

               “Let’s do it,” Gray said with a bright smile, holding out a fist. Altair bumped his with Gray’s—and was suddenly reminded of Chat Noir earlier.

               When Gray turned to go back inside, Altair looked out toward the skyline, where the Eiffel Tower touched the sky with a single claw. _I want to be able to prove to Chat and Ladybug that they can trust me. What if I have to choose? What will I tell Gray?_

Then he shook his head and jogged after his friend. _I’ll burn that bridge when I come to it._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My laptop actually died and I'm so sorry this is a week late. This isn't usually how I am.
> 
> YesitisI'mlyingtoyou
> 
> Enjoy!

_The Next Month_

“Class, we have two new students joining us this semester! They’ve never been here before so I expect you all to give them a nice warm welcome!”

               Adrien looked up from where he was chatting excitedly with Nino as the rest of the class settled down. There were two boys at the head of the room, roughly the same height. One had long black hair tied back with a string, piercing blue eyes, a silver chain around his neck that disappeared into his neckline, and three rings on his left hand. He wore a maroon V-neck t-shirt with an eagle on the side under a plain black zip-up hoodie. He had skinny jeans over navy blue high-tops. Wisps of hair framed his angular face, and he had both hands stuck in the pockets of his jeans. He gave a nervous smile and half-raised one hand, color tinting his cheeks.

               The second was a brunette with softer blue eyes and a scar cutting across one cheek, from his hairline and angled down toward the corner of his mouth. His right ear was pierced and had a simple blue stone stuck through it. He wore a plain white button-up shirt and dark jeans over tennis shoes. His chin was raised proudly but not haughtily, and he didn’t hesitate to make unsmiling eye-contact with anyone, as if daring people to stare. They both had dark messenger bags slung cross-body.

               “Class, this is Altair and Gray,” she said, nodding to each in turn. “They’re both honors students and will be joining our class.”

               “Ooh, do you know what an honors student is?” a cold, mocking voice sneered from the front of the room. Adrien groaned and put his head in his hands. “It’s someone who’s too _poor_ to come to our school normally!” she continued. “They’re _commoner_ _nerds_.”

               “Chloe, knock it off,” Adrien hissed.

               The brunette frowned and took an angry step forward. The other hastily grabbed his elbow and whispered something furtively, shaking his head.

               “That is _enough_ , Mrs. Bourgeois,” the teacher—Mrs. Antonelli—snapped curtly. “I’ve heard a lot about you from your past teachers and will let you know that it will _not_ be tolerated this year. You are all eighteen or nearly eighteen, and will be graduating in the spring—I expect you to act like adults. I don’t _care_ if your daddy is the mayor.”

               Chloe gasped and proceeded to pout. Marinette snickered.

               Then she turned to the boys. “You two can take a seat anywhere that’s open.”

               Without a word, both boys headed right for the back of the room, the empty table, to sit down together. As the dark-haired boy passed Adrien, he shot him a sideways glance, and then a strange look crossed his face—but Adrien couldn’t decipher the emotion. He turned to look at Marinette behind him.

               “Does he seem familiar to you?” he hissed to Marinette. She shook her head.

               “No—should he?” she whispered back.

               “Something about him strikes me as familiar,” he said under his breath.

               “Meet me after class and we can talk,” Marinette whispered softly as Antonelli cleared her throat for silence—the class had devolved into whispers and stolen glances at the new kids. Adrien took one final glance at the black-haired boy—he couldn’t place his finger on it—before turning back to the front.

 

During their lunch period, everyone milled about the courtyard. Adrien grabbed his lunchbox from his locker—a zip-up insulated bag with a built-in ice-pack to keep everything chilled—and jogged to catch up with Marinette. He glanced around to see that they were alone and Marinette made some excuse to Alya about how they would catch up later. Alya grinned cheekily and winked at Marinette, who went red, and said something else before turning to find Nino.

               Once she left, Plagg flew out of Adrien’s breast pocket and nearly collided mid-air with Tikki.

               “Do you smell that?” Plagg whispered, floating away and taking Tikki with him, out of ear-shot of their humans. “I can sense another kwami.”

               “I know, I can too,” the little red bug replied. She had never seen Plagg so serious. It must have been important. “Is it a strong kwami?”

               Plagg nodded solemnly. “The only one I’ve ever met that was this strong was Wayzz, and even then…”

               “Nooroo is pretty strong,” Tikki murmured, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering.

               “But we know where Nooroo is,” Plagg replied. “So it can’t be him.”

               Adrien and Marinette, unaware of their kwamis’ hushed conversation, sat down across from each other and took a deep breath.

               “Something about him strikes me as odd,” Adrien said, wasting no time.

               “Ah, no preamble,” Marinette muttered. “Let’s dive right into it.” Raising her voice, she replied with, “Which one? Altair or Gray?”

               “Either. Both,” Adrien stated, twisting his ring nervously. “I feel like I should know Altair specifically. He seems familiar. He kept looking at us in class.”

               “Who doesn’t look at you?” Marinette teased, only half-kidding. Adrien laughed weakly and rubbed the side of his head with his fingertips. Her heart melted as a pink color tinged his cheeks.

               “W-Well, that aside,” he said self-consciously. “I mean it, though. Should we confront him?”

               “This might be a long shot,” Marinette began slowly, tearing her gaze away from Adrien to look down at her boxed lunch in her hands—inside was a turkey sandwich, a salad, an assortment of fruit, and cookies for Tikki. “But—you know, we both ended up going to the same school…what if…” She shook her head, cutting herself off, but Adrien seemed to pick up on her thought train.

               “What if one of them is White Egret?” he breathed, eyes widening. The thought had never crossed his mind.

               “I-I dunno,” Marinette said nervously, shaking her head. “Remember, White Egret had white hair and golden eyes. Our kwamis don’t change our physical appearance—why should that one change his?”

               “Powerful kwamis can do that,” Tikki interjected, drawing the two caretakers’ attention to the little creatures floating a few feet away. She buzzed closer. “They can!” she insisted when Adrien raised his eyebrows. “The great Kwami Kami was able to completely alter any person he assisted—in appearance, personality, voice—once he helped a girl and she turned into a _male superhero!_ ”

               Adrien’s mouth fell open and Marinette covered hers with her hands.

               “There is no way there’s anyone that powerful,” Adrien stated in disbelief, looking at Plagg. The black cat shrugged.

               “I never met Kami,” he replied. “I was always too busy with food.” His thought train devolved toward cheese and he zoomed for Adrien’s lunch box. “Did you bring my camembert?”

               Adrien shot him a quelling look. “Be serious, Plagg,” he said, putting his hand over the zipper so the mischievous little kwami couldn’t invade his lunchbox. Plagg pouted.

               “I _am_ being serious,” he whined. “I’m seriously _hungry!_ ”

               Adrian waved a hand at his kwami. “Not right now, Plagg.”

               “We need to figure this out first,” Tikki said, floating up toward the little black cat. Plagg opened his mouth to say something before both kwamis stiffened. Then they spun and shot toward the window. Marinette and Adrien rose, startled.

               “Another akuma!” Tikki exclaimed.

               “Oh, is that all?” Plagg said dejectedly. “I thought you smelled the food too.”

               As if on cue, there was the sound of screams from outside and a monumental crash. Without hesitating, both students shouted at once.

               “Tikki, spots on!”

               “Plagg, claws out!”

               They, now fully transformed, hit fists and took off running, pushing open the window and throwing themselves out.

 

“I—I have to use the bathroom,” Altair stammered as Gray spun when the shrieks rang out from outside the school. Gray rose to his feet and didn’t seem to hear Altair, his head turned toward the bay windows.

               Altair backed away at first before turning and running. He ducked into the bathroom and was relieved to find it empty. Uumni flew out of his pocket, the remaining bit of apple slice still held firmly in his…did he have hands on the ends of his wings? Altair shook the thought off. He couldn’t think about that right now.

               “Uumni, let’s go! Wings open!” he shouted. The necklace at his throat pulsed. Uumni swallowed the last bite before zooming into the pendant. Altair tipped his head up and felt himself rise off of the ground. There was a massive flash of seafoam blue that surrounded him. He felt the same cold breeze wrap around his body and his hair faded white. The long locks spun in the air and the mask materialized gently around his face. He felt the wings weigh down the back of his jumpsuit, and the sabre landed lightly between them. Spinning easily, he flared out his wings and thrust his hands outwards. The cold air wrapped around his fingers and solidified into black and white gloves.

               White Egret landed back on his toes, and without hesitating, he threw himself into the air and through an open window high up on the wall. His wings pumping, he rose into the air and soared past the Pont des Arts bridge, skimming the waters of the Seine. The soft spray was cold on his face and rolled easily off of his waterproof feathers. He rose as he neared the banks and saw Ladybug and Chat Noir already facing off against the akumatized victim.

               “Good to see you two again!” he called out, drawing his sabre and bracing it in both hands. Both turned to him, startled. Then Chat Noir narrowed his eyes. The villain took off running.

               “You too,” he said curtly, then cut his head away. “Come on, princess, we can’t waste any more time!” He put his staff on the ground and extended it, launching himself into the air. Ladybug turned to White Egret with a pained sort of look.

               “I’m sorry for him,” she said weakly, throwing her yo-yo and taking off after Chat. White Egret gritted his teeth. Then he took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. Getting agitated because of one uppity kitty wouldn’t solve anything. Unfurling his wings, he took off as well.

 

Gray kept his wide eyes focused on the TV in the rec hall. Apparently the collège had one of those as well. He was packed into the hall with almost every other student from their class. The blonde boy and the dark-haired girl with the pigtails were the only two unaccounted for. The villain—who called himself The Angel—was ironically, in a black suit with white wings. He seemed to be a backwards vigilante type of villain. The newscaster was speaking in rapid French and Gray was fighting to keep up while keeping an eye on the door. Altair had gone to the bathroom before they had ushered everyone into the rec hall, and he still wasn’t back.

               “Oh! Look there—a new face appears!” the newscaster shouted. Gray’s full attention snapped back to the TV. Chat Noir and Ladybug were standing with their backs to the camera, and as he watched, a third shadow was cast over the area before a white, winged figure landed between and slightly back of the two superheroes. Chat Noir turned to him and shouted something, and Ladybug shouted at Chat. Without replying to either, the white figure pumped his wings and launched himself forward, sabre held in both hands.

               Gray caught his shaky breath and without thinking, he ran from the room. Altair would want to see this. He ran down the empty hall and flung open the door to the men’s room.

               “Altair!” he shouted, his voice echoing strangely off of the tiled walls. A cool summer breeze whistled in through several open windows high up on the wall. All the stall doors were open; the bathroom was empty. Altair wasn’t here.

               “Al…tair?” Gray asked again, slowly, his heart crawling up into his throat. Was there another men’s room? His friend wouldn’t have abandoned him. He shook that thought off like one does a cobweb. With a sigh, he bowed his head and pushed both hands through his hair—and stopped.

               Bending down, he picked up the thick white feather he had stepped on. He raised it to the sunlight and turned it slowly between his fingers. There was a light oily sheen on it—the waterproof oils that most seabirds produced.

               His brow furrowed. It wasn’t a seagull feather—it was too big—but he hadn’t yet seen any other seabirds besides the seagulls on the Seine. Gray glanced around again and gently slipped the feather into the outer pocket of his messenger bag. Turning, he pushed out of the bathroom. The heavy door slammed behind him definitively.

 

“ _Sacred Wind!_ ” White Egret shouted, thrusting an open hand into the air. Immediately, a cold, sharp wind cut across the park and encircled the villain. He let out a strangled yell as the impromptu tornado spun him off of his feet and into the air. White Egret clenched his fist and the tornado tightened, spinning on its own axis. “Chat—Ladybug—go! I can only hold it for so long!” he shouted back at them.

               Chat hesitated for a fraction of a second, but Ladybug threw herself forward first. She threw out her yo-yo, her Lucky Charm clutched in one hand. The yo-yo string lashed around the villain’s ankles and pulled her upwards. The wind pulled against White Egret’s fist. His arm shook.

               “Hurry up, Ladybug,” he gasped as the force pushed him toward the ground. His knees shook as the stone cracked under his feet. Bits of wind began pushing out from the tornado as it spun faster, eager for release. Panic built in Egret’s chest.

               “I can’t hold it!” burst from his throat, as he dropped his sabre and his other hand went up to clutch his wrist. His fingers, cramping and shaking, threatened to blow apart. His lack of sleep from the night before—too excited about school to close his eyes—was taking its toll on his core.

               A gloved hand suddenly covered Egret’s fist, holding it closed. He gasped and his eyes, watering from strain, found the black cat at his side. His gaze was on the tornado, and he didn’t look at Egret as he spoke.

               “Don’t let go,” he whispered, and Egret wasn’t sure if Chat was talking to him or Ladybug. “Don’t you _dare_ let go.”

               Egret closed his eyes and took a deep breath. With renewed strength, he gripped his hand tighter. “Go, Chat, go to her,” he ground out, opening his eyes with a bit of a struggle. Green eyes met gold. “Go to her,” he repeated, “she needs you. I can hold it.”

               His hard gaze softened almost imperceptibly and he nodded curtly. Taking his hand away, he put the butt of his staff on the ground and launched himself forward.

               A faint beeping echoed in Egret’s ears. His free hand gripped his pendant as it pulsed. “I can’t have that long left,” he breathed to himself. Almost as soon as he said that, he saw a flash of white and purple, and heard the call of “Miraculous Ladybug!”

               White Egret gasped in relief and let his fist go as the world swam in front of him. He hated using Sacred Wind. It was such a pain to control. Staggering, Egret fell forward, first to his knees and then lying prostrate on the cobblestone. His heart was beating so hard in his chest he could feel it in his toes and he closed his eyes, wings falling open.

               He wasn’t sure how long he lay there, or if he even stayed conscious the entire time, but the next thing he knew was a pair of hands on his shoulders lifting him into a sitting position. With a groan, he opened his eyes blearily. Two figures swam above him, one red and one black. There was a soft girl’s voice and the male’s answered. The red figure disappeared and he heard the hiss of the yo-yo as Ladybug spun away.

               “Hey. Come on, buddy, can ya hear me?” Chat said, waving one hand in front of Egret’s face. Blinking a couple times cleared his vision, and Egret groaned as he sat forward of his own accord.

               “How long was I out?” he groaned.

               “Not long, but you’re going to time out soon,” Chat warned, tapping a finger against Egret’s pendant. With a gasp, his hand grasped it. He had been at four when he collapsed. There was no telling when he would revert.

               “I have to go,” he gasped, leaping to his feet and stumbling. He could hear running footsteps and the chatter of reporters behind him. He couldn’t be on camera when he changed back. Egret spun and found himself nose-to-nose with a camera.

               “Tell us—who _are_ you?” a lady demanded, pushing a microphone in his face. “Are you another superhero, come to work with Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

               Without replying, Egret unfurled his wings and pushed himself upwards with a mighty thrust. He lost a couple feathers but spun in midair and soared away. He could feel his disguise fading. His head was swimming. Behind him, he heard Chat Noir say something that contained his name, but he was too far gone.

               He soared back over the school and he was two feet from the rooftop when his pendant flashed and the disguise vanished in a flash of blue. Altair hit the cement hard, his knees buckling and sending him tumbling. With a groan, he lay on the roof in the warm autumn sunlight, his eyes closed. Uumni landed on his chest, gasping and panting.

               Painfully, Altair sat up and scooped Uumni up in both hands. “You alright, buddy?” he asked quietly, his eyes concerned as they searched his little kwami’s body for injuries. Limp in his palm, Uumni opened his eyes wearily and let out a soft murmur. Altair reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a pack of fruit snacks he had begun at lunch.

               “There’s only a couple left,” he said quickly, “but it’s something. Will this help, Uumni?”

               He sat up and took one of the gummies in his little wing-tip hands. It was half his body-size, but Altair had watched him eat apples four times his size, so this didn’t worry him. It didn’t take very long before he had crammed all four fruit snacks down his throat.

               Altair sighed and laid back on the roof, his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes against the sky. _Man, that was close._

               “You know,” Uumni said slowly, drawing his attention, “I think Chat Noir is starting to trust you a little bit.”

               “You think?” Altair asked drowsily.

               “Come now, superhero,” the kwami teased lightly, zooming over and jabbing one finger against his cheek. “You can’t fall asleep! You still have school!”

               He sighed and sat up. “You’re right.” And then something else occurred to him. Altair’s heart dropped. “Oh my God, _Gray!_ ”


	3. Sincerity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My laptop died. Like, fr died. Like, died as in I had to take it to MicroCenter and LEAVE IT for a week and a half while they fixed it. My poor baby. You never realize how much you need your laptop until you don't have it. UGH
> 
> Anyway. I own none of Miraculous except my OCs.

“Look who came back,” the other boy growled under his breath as Altair flew into the classroom at the last second before the bell. He slid into his seat at the back of the room beside his friend.

               “Yeah, sorry, I was—in the bathroom,” Altair lied weakly. Uumni shifted in his pocket.

               Gray looked down. “’Kay.” He bent over his paper, hair falling in front of his face. Altair heard a commotion at the front of the room as two other students ran in late as well, but he barely noticed.

               “Gray, what’s wrong?”

               “Nothing.”

               The word was spoken so quickly and quietly it was almost one syllable. Altair reached out to touch his friend’s arm. Gray pulled it away. Altair’s heart throbbed.

               “What’s the matter?” Altair repeated, but the teacher rapped her desk for silence and Gray refused to answer.

               Altair knew, though. He knew how upset his friend was about him just up and ditching him. But Altair couldn’t very well tell him about Uumni; the little kwami had made it very clear that no one else was to know about his existence.

               So Altair sighed through his nose, pulled a pen from his bag, and began half-heartedly taking notes, feeling like garbage all the while.

 

“But I want to tell him,” Altair insisted to Uumni as he walked home, both hands clutching the strap of his messenger bag. Gray had left as soon as the bell had rung while Altair had been caught by the arm by a blond boy with piercing green eyes who introduced himself as Adrien.

               It had hurt more than a little that his best friend had left without him.

               “Altair, you _can’t_ ,” the kwami reprimanded, stubborn as ever, shaking his head. “You know no one else is allowed to know about us.”

               “But I’m hurting my best friend!” Altair snapped, drawing to a halt. Uumni floated up in front of him, silver eyes hard.

               “If Gray is really your friend, he should understand that you have secrets that you’ve kept from him.”

               “That’s just _it_ , we never keep _anything_ from each other. I’m all he’s got and he’s all I’ve, Uumni.”

               The little bird put his hands on his…hips? He frowned deeply, raising one eyebrow. “You have to believe me. You can’t tell him. It would just hurt everyone.”

               He scowled and kicked a rock that skipped into the street. “I can’t do this,” he growled, scrubbing his hands through his hair. “Uumni, wings open!”

               His pendant throbbed against his throat, and in a matter of seconds, White Egret was taking to the air in a swirl of feathers. His long hair streamed out behind him and he felt the muscles in his back ripple as his wings pumped, taking him higher, higher, away from the pain of the ground.

               He landed on the top of a building near the Eiffel Tower and sat there, wings half-folded as he rolled his sabre across his palms.

               “Stupid Uumni,” he muttered under his breath. “Stupid Gray, stupid Altair—why can’t you be as brave as you are with the damn mask? Twat.”

               He heard a metallic scrape and a couple soft footsteps behind him. Startled, Egret rose to his feet and braced his sabre, wings flaring. But he relaxed immediately as he saw Chat Noir raise his hands to his shoulders.

               “Birdy’s got claws,” he commented, one eyebrow cocked. “What’s the matter, Yang?”

               Egret tipped his head. “Does that make you Yin?”

               “Listen, I’m going off colors here, birdy-boy. And just so you know, cats eat birds, so I wouldn’t get too cocky yet.”

               “Egrets are too big for naughty little housecats to catch.”

               Chat Noir laughed lightly. “Come on, what’s with the brooding superhero stereotype?”

               “Where’s Ladybug?” Egret asked instead.

               “Probably home,” Chat replied with a shrug. “I saw you overhead and decided I’d follow. Figured you wouldn’t pose enough of a threat to warrant alerting her.”

               “I’m not a threat,” Egret said lowly. “If either of the two of us are, it’d be you. You’re a black cat—one unlucky little omen. Egrets bring peace and a change of luck.”

               “Yes, well, I suppose it fits that you’d show up now,” Chat replied. “Ladybugs are good luck, black cats are bad luck, and look—now we have a luck-changer.”

               Egret turned away. “You have an alternate identity too.”

               “I do.” It was careful, neutral.

               “I—I hurt someone I care about today.”

               “That’ll happen.” Chat nodded in affirmation. He leaned on his staff. “You’ll figure it out.”

               Egret turned into the wind. It pulled on the feathers of his mask and tugged at his hair. “I had these powers in Austria. That’s where I’m from,” he clarified. “I found my kwami in my pocket one morning, tucked away in a little jewelry box with my necklace.” His gloved hand found his pendant. “I didn’t do much in Austria. There wasn’t much to _do_.”

               “Hawk Moth seems to be a local threat,” Chat affirmed.

               “Typically, all I’d do was transform and fly about for a while, keeping the peace from a distance,” Egret continued. “These past two akumas are the first times I’ve had to appear publicly. And both times have been so abrupt—I’m beginning to feel he doesn’t trust me.”

               “Yes, that—does become a problem,” Chat said slowly. “But you can’t exactly tell him.”

               Egret closed his eyes. “Do you and Ladybug know each other outside of the masks?”

               Chat opened his mouth, paused, and closed it again.

               “That’s a yes,” Egret said with a sigh. “My kwami insists I can’t even tell you two.”

               Chat laughed. “So did ours. We found out on accident. I was too caught up in flirting with her that I didn’t notice I timed out, and suddenly the cat was out of the bag.”

               Egret felt his eyes burning. “Chat—have you—ever loved someone?”

               He heard a small commotion off to the side and, in a cat-like manner, Chat’s head turned. “What’s that?”

               Egret swallowed against the lump in his throat and turned with him. “We might as well go see.”

               He was glad, later, that they did.

               He found a couple shouting at each other, and out of the corner of his eye, saw a figure dart around a corner.

               “You go see what’s wrong with them,” Egret told Chat, his eyes never leaving where the shadow disappeared. “I’ll go check this out.”

               He spread his wings and soared down as Chat leapt as well, using his staff to soften his landing. Egret banked hard and landed softly on the balls of his feet. Holding his sabre defensively, he called out, “I saw you go this way! Who are you?”

               A rush of wind and another figure dropped in front of Egret. He had a wicked grin and piercing blue eyes that matched Altair’s own. He extended his arms and raised his chin. He wore a tight black jumpsuit with a black coat overtop, a silver chain dangling off one wrist. He wore white high-tops and his hair was pulled back into a high ponytail.

               “Call me Sincerity,” he crooned. “People have so many secrets, wouldn’t you agree? It’s about damn time they all were brought to the light!”

               Egret’s stomach flipped. He took a wary step back, never dropping his defensive stance. This villain was making him _very_ uncomfortable.

               “Chat,” he called over his shoulder, “I think we’ll need Ladybug soon!”

               Sincerity dropped his chin, smile never fading. “Don’t you agree, White Egret?” he said softly. “That secrets are best shared?”

               Egret searched the villain’s face, and his eyes caught a discoloration on one side. It was too dark for him to make it out. He had to draw him into the light.

               Sincerity kissed his palm and flung his hand out. Several dozen little black butterflies spun from his hand. Egret took to the air to avoid them, startled. They struck a nearby man in the back, and Egret stared, unnerved.

               The man took on a strange look before taking a deep breath and shouting, “I don’t really like my mother-in-law! I wish that heart attack had killed her!”

               Egret gasped. His power was to make anyone tell their deepest secrets. His head jerked around. With a leap that rivaled Chat’s, Sincerity followed Egret and landed on the fire escape just above his head. Egret followed him and soared around, forcing the akumatized victim to face into the sunlight—and his heart stopped.

               The discoloration on his face was a scar.

               The bracelet on his wrist was a simple chain.

               _Oh my God._

               Sincerity’s smile turned feral. “Ah, so you recognize my old, weaker self.”

Chat Noir landed on his toes beside Egret. “Who’s this character?” he said, perching on his staff. Egret couldn’t answer. He ran to the other end of the building, hit his knees, and began to dry-heave. Spit trailed from his lips and he gasped for air as his back and abdomen convulsed.

               “Egret!” Chat shouted in surprise. He heard the hiss of a yo-yo string and sensed Ladybug behind him.

               “Chat—Egret—what’s wrong?”

               “I don’t know—he just ran off and—”

               _No, no, no, no._ His pulse thrummed in his head and he wasn’t a superhero, he wasn’t an honors student—Altair was ten and had just switched orphanages again, _walking into the cafeteria with his head held low and an apple clutched in one hand._

_“Kid.”_

_He glanced up, startled. Another boy roughly his age with a scar was looking at him through his bangs. He jerked his head toward the empty seat across the table from him. The implication was clear. Altair slid into the seat, hands shaking._

_“You’re new.” It was a statement, not a question, so Altair didn’t reply._

_“I’ll show you the ropes.” The kid slid something across the table. It was half his chocolate cake from that day that Altair had been too scared to grab off of the serving table. Altair noticed a bracelet on one hand, looking too big for his skinny wrist. “You need to eat, though. Dinner isn’t til a lot later.”_

_“My name’s—Altair,” he said quietly, finally looking the other boy in the eyes. The other kid nodded unsmilingly._

_“Gray.”_

_“That isn’t a name,” Altair burst out without thinking._ Shit _._

_A smirk touched the corner of his mouth. “It’s my name, so either deal with it or give me my cake back.”_

               “Egret!”

               The shout jerked him from his reverie and he looked up. A rush of black butterflies soared past him as Ladybug leapt out of the way. Egret ducked and rolled as one brushed his wingtip. The feathers turned a dark shade of gray and words bubbled up in his mouth.

               “I like eating ice cream even though I’m lactose intolerant,” he shouted before clamping a hand over his mouth. Chat laughed and dropped down beside him.

               “I guess the amount of contact with the butterflies determines the severity of your secret,” he joked. Face burning, Egret shook his head and picked up his sabre.

               “We can’t let him get in a direct hit,” the winged boy called back. “We have the biggest secrets in the world.”

               His smile faded and he nodded, spinning his staff in one hand and bracing the claws of his other.

               “Chat, don’t hurt him,” he insisted. “I can’t tell you why but—but that’s my _friend_.”

               Chat nodded. “Okay.”

               “The akuma is in his bracelet!” Egret shouted as he leapt into the air. Behind him, he heard Ladybug’s call of “Lucky Charm!”

               “Hey, Sincerity! Up here!” the white-clad hero shouted, diving with the tip of his sabre pointed at Sincerity. The akumatized villain leapt in the air, avoiding the blade narrowly.

               Egret heard the soft rush of a kiss and feinted backwards, the butterflies narrowly missing his wings this time.

               “Let’s see what your comrades have to say instead!” Sincerity shouted, and repeated the motion, but this time at Chat’s turned back as he stood with his head toward Ladybug.

               “Chat!” Egret shouted, and the black cat turned. He inhaled sharply and jumped, but not fast enough—a couple of the little bugs touched one of his feet and he crashed back to the rooftop. A flash of purple lightning and his gloved hand was shoved against his mouth as his body tried to fight the urge to quite literally shout it from the rooftop.

               “Fight it, Chat!” Ladybug insisted, clutching the scarf her Lucky Charm had given her.

               Biting his glove, Chat’s body spasmed and rocked as he threw himself onto his back, spine arching off the rooftop. With an anguished cry, both of his hands clutched his hair as he cried, “I only took fencing to impress the girl I have a crush on!”

               “There now,” Sincerity cooed. “Doesn’t that feel better? Now you don’t have to hide it anymore!”

               “Gray, stop it!” Egret cried without thinking. He dove down, dropping his weapon as he folded his wings inward. The villain turned just as Egret crashed into him and they went tumbling, wrestling across the rooftop.

               “Gray is _gone_ , Egret,” he laughed, his eyes glowing with a feral light. “He’s gone because you _betrayed him!_ ”

               _I knew Gray was hurt I left._ The realization came very calmly considering the situation. Egret grabbed one of Sincerity’s arms and twisted it, managing to flip the other boy onto his stomach. Chat Noir was running toward them, looking dizzy.

               “How about you, Egret? What’s _your_ secret?” Quick as a fish, the villain had brought the palm of his right hand to his mouth.

               “No!” Altair shouted, grappling once again. Sincerity flipped upwards and he was on top, and White Egret felt the akuma’s whole hand flat against his chest.

               _“No!_ ” Chat and Ladybug shouted at the same time, but it was too late. Altair’s white suit had gone gray and his chest began to tighten. He started coughing, spasming as he bit his tongue, his lip, his knuckle—but his vision was going and his mouth tasted like copper—he couldn’t hold onto any straight thought—

               “I can’t!” Egret choked out, coughing out a sob as his back arched. His gloves dragged across the paved roof and he felt the fingers tear. Tears filling his eyes, he cried, “My name is Altair Leandre and I’m in love with my best friend!”


End file.
